Sashi Tharoor who resigned Sunday as minister of state for external affairs over the Kochi IPL franchisee took centrestage at parliament Tuesday when the house heard him with rapt attention as he refuted allegations of any wrongdoing in the IPL controversy.“I am deeply wounded by fanciful and malicious charges made against me and I have requested the prime minister to have these charges against me thoroughly investigated,” an emotional Tharoor said amid loud thumping of desks by his Congress party colleagues. The former UN diplomat said: “My conscience is clear. I have done nothing improper or unethical, let alone illegal. Nonetheless, in view of the ongoing political controversy, I have no desire to be an embarrassment to the government and believe that my departure at this stage will allow the prime minister and his cabinet colleagues to focus on the great challenges facing our nation.” Saying his resignation was in line with “the highest moral traditions of our democratic system”, the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said he also wanted to let parliament continue its legislative business stalled by opposition members demanding his sacking. Modi on way outGiving in to pressure, former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar on Tuesday agreed to ask Lalit Modi to step down as IPL Commissioner. BCCI president Shashank Manohar will take over as IPL chief. Modi is likely to quit after the final of the Twenty20 extravaganza as BCCI will set up an internal probe to look into the IPL fiasco. Modi will hand over his resignation to the Governing Council in its meeting on April 26. A top BCCI source said, “It will be in the best interest of the IPL and the BCCI that he steps down from the post. But if he does not do so, the Governing Council may be forced to pass a resolution against him to remove him.” “There is near unanimity within the Board that Modi has to go. He has no choice now. It is the only logical conclusion,” the source said. Despite pressure mounting from all quarters, Modi said, “There is no chance of resigning. I will present all my facts at the Governing Council meeting,” Modi told reporters at the airport after landing from Dubai.No link with IPL: Praful The Tharoor-Modi controversy also appears to have claimed more politicians reportedly involved with the IPL-gate.Newspapers on Tuesday morning made thinly-veiled references to Praful Patel being a proxy owner. However, speaking exclusively to NDTV, Patel described these reports as a “slanderous campaign” filled with “unsubstantiated allegations.” Patel said, “I do not have anything to do with cricket, IPL, BCCI or the bidding process. There is no question of holding any kind of stake.”